OK, so i just joined this site. But i plan on building a new computer AROUND May 16th. With a budget of $1,500

I am building a VERY fast gaming computer. I plan on playing the newest games (like Crysis, Call of Duty 4, Unreal, and new games that demand a fast computer.) I like to do video work to, and i like to use AutoCAD Inventor, so i need a good all around computer, but mostly for gaming.

This is what i have picked out for it now, tell me what you think. What should i change and what would be best for my Money.

I already have this case but what do you think?
XCLIO A380PLUS-BK

This is the Motherboard/CPU/RAM combo i plan on buying:
XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle - Intel Core 2 Quad Q6600 Processor 2.40GHz OEM, OCZ 4096MB PC6400 DDR2 Memory (2 x 2048MB)

CPU cooler/Heatsink(If you know of anything better besides water cooling, PLEASE share!!!):
ZEROtherm Nirvana NV120 CPU Cooler

Powersupply:
OCZ / GameXStream / 1010-Watt
OR
Ultra X2 750-Watt Power Supply (I like this one!)
Those are just cool ons i found. VERY open to suggestions!!


Ok, now the graphics cards.... This i don't really have an idea on. I an always upgrade later, but i dont want to spend more than $200 for now. But as of now, its going to be(can always upgrade later:

One of these
XFX GeForce 8800 GT XXX 512MB Video Card

or Two of these

XFX PVT84JYAJG GeForce 8600GT 512MB

Also what OS is the best? I don't really like vista, And XP only reads 3.25gb of ram. so should i use XP pro 64-bit? or what?

What is better. i would like to build a VERY good comp, and not have to upgrade for along time.

If you know of a great graphics card that isn't to much then please share. If YOU personally dislike something please tell me. I AM OPEN TO SUGGESTION!!!

After talking for awhile, me and my dad though it MAY be better to go with this motherboard. Do i have to use the 8800 graphics cards? and what size power supply should i get? Which mombo do you think is the best?


ANOTHER idea for the computer.


Motherboard:
EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard CPU Bundle

Thanks A LOT if you will help me, and please comment back if you disagree with anything i have posted.

This post has been edited by When Shrubs Attack: Apr 5 2008, 06:14 PM

Hey there When Shrubs Attack, and welcome to Geeks to Go!

Can you be more specific in a timeframe for your computer build? If by "the next couple of months", you mean next month, then we might be able to help. If you mean in the next 6 months however, we couldn't be much use considering how quickly computer hardware changes. Our recommendations could very well be outdated by then! If this is the case, I would suggest coming back to us closer to when you are ready to build.

It would also be great if we could know your budget. We wouldn't be much help suggesting parts which are more expensive than what you want to spend.

Oh yeah, sorry, left out those details.

I actually plan on ordering the parts mid may (like may 16th).

and my actual budget, I PLAN on having about $1,500 to spend on the computer.

(ill add all this to my main post)

Thanks!

Shrub

Nobody?

Hi there,

So you have $1,500 to spend in a little over a month away? What parts are needed for this build? Do you need to include a monitor, keyboard, mouse, speakers?

For your operating system, you say you don't like Vista - have you tried it? (For more than a few days?) Also, I'm assuming by saying that XP only sees 3.25GB of RAM that you want to be able to use all 4GB? For that, you would need a 64-bit OS - and I would highly recommend a 64-bit Vista version (such as Home Premium) over XP Professional 64-bit!

But a few comments on your selections:

If you are intending to build a very fast gaming computer, do not bother with any 8600 series cards. Not even two of them! One 8800GT as you have selected will well and truly beat two 8600 series cards in SLI. For a $1500 budget, I would strongly suggest you build yourself a nice, evenly selected system of components with one graphics card. The 8800 series are a good choice - particularly the 8800GT and the 8800GTS (G92 512MB) versions. You may also want to start looking into the 9x00 series cards, which are starting to hit the market strongly now. I have heard pretty good reviews of the 9600GT card, but by the time you intend to purchase, something better for your money may be available.

For your PSU selections, the OCZ would be the better of the two - but clicking on that link takes me to a 700W version, not 1010W as you have posted. Even so, the 700W should be more than enough for a single graphics card solution.

As another CPU Heatsink/Fan option - if you are intending on only a mild overclock of the processor (or no overclocking at all), then I would suggest the Arctic Cooling Freezer Pro 7, which I can't see available on Tiger Direct... It's cheap and offers excellent performance for the price - quite a few reviews out there on it.

And - well frankly, you asked for it - my opinion on that case? It looks quite tacky and "cheap", to be honest. It seems like they've made sure it's rather fancy from the outside, and with large fans, but the inside doesn't look the nicest to be fitting your parts in. And what happens when a 360mm fan wears out? A quick search on Newegg and Tiger Direct reveals no case fans for sale in that 360mm size... While I'm thinking about it, do you even need such large fans to get good in-case air flow? I only have 2x 120mm case fans, and I have a very nice and cool-running system. If you already have the case, then it should get you by, though.

Cheers

Troy

Hey thanks for the help. And i really like the case. The inside is pretty nice, it is big, and sturdy. The only thing i don't like about it is where the metal is painted, and where they chose to put the USB ports. Besides that it does push A LOT of air when cranked up. And i don't plan on over clocking at all.. (unless i have to). I like it...

i fixed the link for the Power supply.

And i bought vista when it first came out, and used it as my main OS for about 3 months (maybe a little longer). And i got XP home back. I didn't like it because i couldn't play any of my games... it had almost half the FPS as XP did... but i may try it again when i build this comp.

And yes $1500. I already have nice speakers and monitor. All i need to get is the Motherboard, CPU, RAM, Power supply, Graphics Card, CPU cooler.

And is the EVGA nForce 780i SLI Motherboard worth the $150 more over the XFX nForce 680i LT SLI Motherboard

And awesome, i will deff look into the 8800 or 9600 graphic cards. And i would like to go SLI someday.. (maby even 3-way with the 780i motherboard if i chose to go that way)

Thanks!

Anyone else have opinions?